A potential 'nail in the coffin' for tigers and other wildlife at Corbett

Posted 10th May 2018

The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has warned that the proposed Kandi Road through Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand to cut the distance between Garhwal and Kumaon regions will sound the death knell of tigers and become an international embarrassment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a letter written to Uttarakhand chief secretary and secretary ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the forum has sought immediate suspension of Kandi Road, a dream project of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government. The letter dated April 9 written by Keshav Varma, chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director Global Tiger Initiative Council of GTF mentions the Supreme Court’s order of November 2005 that had approved the road alignment outside Corbett against which the state government is planning to carve a route inside the reserve.

It also says that the road would not only be against of SC order, but also against St. Petersburg Declaration 2010 that calls for effectively managing, preserving, protecting and enhancing core tiger habitats. “A highway bisecting such a precious ecosystem (Corbett) would be able like driving a knife through its vitals and finally killing its unique wildlife and wilderness,” reads the letter. “The road will be an international embarrassment for our Prime Minister and for the country that has pledged to protect tigers. The matter needs to be brought to the notice of PM as the local politicians are trying to play with the one of the flagships reserve. And no doubt it will be criticised by activists from India as well as globe,” Varma said. Let us hope that common sense pervails and that Corbett National Park a flagship for tiger conservation in India will be bisected by this proposed road.